Terry Ryan, the architect of a generation of Twins teams, and Rick Stelmaszek, the longest-serving coach in Twins history, are headed to the team’s Hall of Fame.
Ryan and Stelmaszek will represent the Class of 2024, the team announced Friday. Ryan was the fifth front office executive elected to the club’s Hall of Fame, and Stelmaszek was the first coach who wasn’t a manager.
The two will be inducted into the hall, which was created in 2000 and will have 40 members, on Aug. 10 at Target Field.
Ryan, 70, served as the Twins’ general manager from 1994 to 2007 and 2011-16, leading the franchise to four American League Central Division titles. Prior to his first stint as GM, Ryan was the club’s scouting director from 1986 to ’91, and the vice president of player personnel from 1992 to ’94.
“On a personal level, I’ve been connected to a lot of guys that have got into the Twins Hall of Fame,” Twins President Dave St. Peter said. “There is nobody that is more deserving and more meaningful to me personally than Terry Ryan.”
Ryan, a two-time MLB Executive of the Year, was known for his ability to draft and develop players. His front office was responsible for building a core of homegrown players like Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Torii Hunter, Michael Cuddyer, Corey Koskie, Doug Mientkiewicz and Jacque Jones to lead division-winning teams.
Stelmaszek, known as “Stelly,” was Twins bullpen coach from 1981 through 2012. He worked under managers Johnny Goryl, Billy Gardner, Ray Miller, Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire. His beloved personality and sense of humor were invaluable, and he carried duties beyond bullpen coach like coordinating spring training.
A Chicago native, Stelmaszek died in 2017 because of pancreatic cancer. He was 69.
